I have been inactive for about a year and for two years prior to that I was active on PSK31. I retired and moved south. At the present time I am only able to get on 40 meters with an Isotron antenna mounted in the attic. My radio is an FT_990 and I consistently sign in to SOUTHCARS every morning or most every morning. I'm running barefoot. Most of the Q5 signals I hear are S4 to S6 or S7. An S( is booming in. My query is, why doesn't someone answer a CQ on 40 SSB. Is there some place special to go to get a qso. Several times I have asked for just a signal report. I know my signal is getting out. Is it that no ones wants to rag chew with a stranger? Would it be gouche if I tried to break into an on-going QSO. The only answere I can come up with is that perhaps there's just noy vrery many hams left and the statistical probability of one ham hearing my call is very small.

Well, if you aren't having any success calling CQ, maybe you could "tail end" a conversation. When a conversation is done, call the station you hear the loudest and tell them you are concerned that your signal or audio is not good. Tell them you would like to have a radio check and carry the conversation from there if the the station has the time to do it. If the other station needs to leave, use the same frequency to call CQ and see if any others were listening to them and you. Good luck.73,FrankKL7IPV

I get answers to my "CQs" on 40m about 95% of the time; however I must admit that most guys who reply do so to tell me how darned strong my signal is. (Not running an Isotron in the attic, but a 1/2-wave inverted vee at 55' up on my tower.) Then, some answer to complain that I'm QRMing them (even though I ask, "Is the frequency in use?" three or four times before *ever* calling a CQ).

If I drop down to 2W PEP output or something, which I can easily do, and call CQ on 40m SSB, pretty much nobody answers me either; thus, supporting my theory that nobody wants to reply to a weak station! Of course, 40m can be a pretty noisy band and its propagation is "interesting," for sure.

I find I get the most answers if I call CQ above 7225 (so Generals can answer, also), and of course on a frequency spaced *between* the foreign broadcast stations which occupy almost every 10 kHz channel, and many 5 kHz channels as well -- leaving not many frequencies to deal with!

On CW, this "problem" goes away, and I can easily make contacts with low power, and get answers, too!

Calling CQ with a S4 or 5 signal on most bands usually will get you few replys. I operate a lot of 40 meter mobile, at the 100 watt level, seldom will I get a reply, when I run higher power I will get answers always. Ham's for some strange reason are attracted to strong signals. My suggestion is find a (good) group and see if you can join them, usually if they know you they will be happy to work the weaker signals. Have you noticed the guys with the bigger signals can't get away from calls at the tail end of a QSO.

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